Restoring hope: Foundation receives grant for drug court

By Tom Kirvan Legal News Last month, the local legal community was in a record-breaking mood, helping the Oakland County Bar Foundation raise more than $265,000 at its annual Signature Event. This week, The RESTORE Foundation, which provides funding support for the drug court programs in Oakland County, became one of the first beneficiaries of the legal community's generosity, receiving a $20,000 grant from the OCBF. Retired Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick, who now serves as director of The RESTORE Foundation, was understandably delighted by the grand award. "The Oakland Bar Foundation has been a wonderful supporter of RESTORE right along and this year is its largest gift yet," Sosnick said. "We are truly grateful for their continued generosity, and the money will make a difference for all those working to turn their lives around through the drug court programs." The RESTORE Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was created in the fall of 2008 with the expressed mission of "restoring hope and dignity by helping individuals overcome substance abuse to the benefit of themselves, their families, and society by sustaining the Oakland County drug courts," according to Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts, president of the Board of Directors. Its formation came at a time when state and federal funding support for the drug court program was waning because of budget cuts. Elizabeth Luckenbach, president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, said the $20,000 grant award is an expression of the OCBF's belief in the work of the drug court programs. "Through its support of the Oakland County drug treatment courts, The RESTORE Foundation is providing access to supportive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative programs to help non-violent substance abusers succeed," said Luckenbach, an attorney with Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss. "The juvenile and adult treatment court graduates experience dramatically less recidivism compared to their incarcerated counterparts, therefore not only benefitting themselves, but also the citizens of Oakland County. "The program fits squarely within the mission of the Oakland County Bar Foundation and we are thankful to our donor base for their generosity, allowing the OCBF to lend its support to worthy organizations such as The RESTORE Foundation," Luckenbach added. The fund-raising efforts of RESTORE will continue on June 3 when it holds a reception for supporters at an area restaurant, according to Sosnick. Details will be announced within the week and the event will come on the heels of an April 16 dinner at the new Café ML in Birmingham that raised more than $5,000 for RESTORE. Published: Thu, May 16, 2013

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